


Summer Rain

by TreasureHunterGirl



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Halloween Costumes, Monica has a crush, Mulder is undercover, Neighbors, Scully is a teenager, Serial killer case, Twin Peaks References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 08:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7927333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreasureHunterGirl/pseuds/TreasureHunterGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a new neighbor moves in next door, Dana Scully strikes up an unexpected friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Guy on the Block

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I am transferring over from FF. The first couple of chapters are pretty short but they get longer as the story progresses, I promise. I've rated it T for themes and a little bit of language. Hope you enjoy!

September 14, 2014

10:16am

Fox Mulder pulled into the driveway of his new home in suburban Maryland. He killed the engine and stepped out of the car. He'd been standing there no longer than about 15 seconds when someone called out to him from the neighboring house.

"Hello," it was a middle-aged woman with short dark hair and a kind face. "New in town?" she questioned the young man.

"Yeah," replied Mulder a little awkwardly, walking over to the fence. "David Fox." He put out his hand.

The woman took it and shook it. "Margaret Scully," she replied.

"Nice to meet you," Mulder said with a slight smile.

"Have you moved to town for work?" asked Mrs Scully.

"Not exactly," replied Mulder. "I work from home."

"Wonderful," exclaimed Mrs Scully. "What do you do?"

"I'm a website designer," replied Mulder, feeling a little like he was being grilled. "Sorry, but I have a bit of unpacking to do. I'll see you later." He gave her a wave before heading back over to his car and popping the trunk. He grabbed a few boxes out and headed towards the front door.

Once inside Mulder locked the door behind him and headed towards the back of the house. He had no curtains or blinds yet and didn't particularly want an audience to his unpacking. He sat down on the floor and opened one of the boxes pulling a couple of files out and looking over them. He'd probably only been there about ten minutes when the doorbell rang. He got up to answer it but not before returning the files to their box and making sure it was closed. The FBI seal disappeared beneath the cardboard flaps. He didn't need anyone seeing that. This was his first undercover assignment and he wanted to do a good job, he needed to do an outstanding job on this so he could finally get what he wanted. What he wanted however was not exactly what other Special Agents were aiming for. It wasn't a promotion. It was probably considered more of a demotion. What Special Agent Fox Mulder wanted was a choice. He wanted to be able to choose where he worked within the Bureau and that was what he was hoping they'd give him if he successfully solved this case. He wanted to be assigned to the X Files, a practically unknown division of the FBI devoted to the investigation of cases involving paranormal phenomenon. A chance to really get a look at the existing files and to pursue new ones. A chance to maybe find out what happened to his sister that night when they were kids and he saw a bright light. The night that she disappeared, never to be seen or heard of since.

Opening the door, Mulder greeted the movers. It took them only a few short hours to unload everything as only the necessary furniture was provided. It looked quite sparse and unhomely. Mulder shrugged, it wasn't as if his own place was a picture of homeliness either, plus he wasn't planning on sticking around too long.

After hanging some curtains, Mulder relocated his case file boxes to the living room at the front of the house and opened them up again. He flicked through the pages reading over forensic notes, autopsy reports and a profile on Garland Theodore Botch. He'd been sent there to finally nail this guy. It was a commonly accepted fact at the FBI that Botch was responsible for several murders spread across the country, they'd tracked him here to Maryland but what they really needed was hard evidence. Something that would send him away once and for all.

Mulder absently-mindedly chewed on some sunflowers seeds as he pondered the case. After a while he closed the file and tossed it back in the box, he knew the case inside-out, now he really just needed to get in and observe, learn more about the man himself and put him away. The sooner he closed this case the better and the sooner he could get his foot in the door of the X Files.


	2. Secret Agent Man

September 15, 2014

7:52am

Mulder was sitting on the front porch. He pretended to read the newspaper as he gazed across the street. It was the oldest trick in the book but it worked so he went with it. There was no activity however; who knew undercover work could be this boring. He was less than 24 hours in and was already getting distracted by thoughts of UFO's. He pushed the thoughts away however, there'd be plenty of time for that when he was finished here and could finally get where he really wanted to be, The X Files.

A school bus pulled up at the end of the street, a few doors down. As he heard the distinct sound of the door opening two teenage girls and a younger boy came running out of the house next door; the Scully kids. They sped down the sidewalk just as the bus door closed. Mulder heard one of them call out loudly and then the bus door reopened. Mulder chuckled to himself as the bus pulled back out into the flow of traffic and chugged away. He could see three silhouettes still standing in the aisle.

"Hi Mr Fox," called Mrs Scully from over the fence.

"Morning Mrs Scully," he replied with a wave.

"Settling in?" she asked.

"Yes I am, thank you" he called back.

The last thing he needed was nosey neighbours prying into what he was doing but at the same time they might just be the best place to get information on the habits of Garland Theodore Botch.

"You're the only neighbor I've met so far," he baited.

"Oh I'm sure they'll all introduce themselves in due time," she beamed. "Everyone is very friendly here." She faltered the slightest bit at her last comment and the quick glance across the street was not lost on the Federal Agent.

"Yeah," he agreed casually. "I suppose I've only been here a day."

She smiled, nodding.


	3. Would You Like Some Pie?

September 15, 2014

5:56pm

"I'm not going over there!" exclaimed Melissa defiantly. "He could be a total creep!"

"Melissa!" Her mother said sternly. "He is no such thing!"

"That's what you said about that Botch guy across the road and we all agree that he's a weirdo," retorted Melissa folding her arms, the gesture indicating that her decision was final.

Margaret Scully looked uncomfortable, she couldn't argue with that.

"Dana," she said appealing to her younger daughter. "Would you mind taking it over to Mr Fox?"

"Sure," said Dana unenthusiastically. She knew there was no getting out of it now that Missy had flat out refused.

Her mother plonked the pie in her outstretched arms and walked to the door with her.

Dana walked up the couple of steps at the front of her new next door neighbor's house. She felt awkward delivering a home-made pie to a complete stranger but her mother had baked it especially and she knew she'd never hear the end of it if she didn't comply with her mother's orders.

Ding-dong!

She could hear the chime of the doorbell from outside and waited for an answer... and waited...

Dana took a step to the left and tried to look inside the window, the curtains were drawn.

Click!

The door opened.

"Hello," said Mulder.

_Shit!_ thought Dana. _He finally answers the door and here I am peeping in his window!_

With nothing else she could do, Dana turned and faced him, blushing violently as she did so.

When she finally looked up into his eyes, her breath caught and she stood there gaping.

_Great!_ She thought once the ability to think returned to her. _And he's gorgeous to make things worse!_

She felt like dying right there and then.

Mulder was still looking at her questioningly.

"My mum baked this for you to say welcome," she said lamely, offering the pie to him.

"Oh," he said, taking it from her. "Thank you."

"Sorry," Dana continued. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Dana Scully, we live next door."

"Fox..." Mulder began before realizing he was giving his real name. "...David Fox," he finished just saving himself. Images of Bond, James Bond popped into his mind.

A small smirk was tugging at the corners of Dana's mouth but she fought against it. The laugh she didn't allow to escape was evident however in the form of a glint in her blue eyes.

Mulder smiled without meaning to.

"I don't want to disturb you any longer," said Dana suddenly.

"Well bye then," returned Mulder just as suddenly. "I suppose I'll be seeing you around..."

"Most likely," Dana confirmed. "Bye!"

He closed the door as she turned away to retreat back to her own house. Once the latch clicked they both felt much better, the meeting while not unpleasant had been awkward.

"He said thanks," called Dana on her way past as she began climbing the stairs.

"What? Dana!" her mother called after her. "What else did he say?"

Dana was on the top step by the time her mother had reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Nothing," replied Dana. "We didn't strike up a conversation. I gave him the pie and left."

Her mother huffed before walking off mumbling about kids these days and being rude.

Dana ignored her and continued to her bedroom. Once inside she closed the door behind her and went over to the window. She looked over at the house next door where 007 was now living. She smiled to herself.


	4. Do You Believe?

September 17, 2014

6:01pm

Dana looked over the short fence that divided her backyard and next door's. Mr Fox was sitting on a fold out chair looking at his laptop that was perched atop a small glass table. He was intently scrutinizing the screen so she allowed herself the luxury of extending her gaze time and smiled to herself.

"Are you spying on me Dana Scully?" his voice suddenly interrupted Dana's thoughts.

He was still looking down at his computer however.

"No," she replied defensively as she quickly returned to sweeping the paved area behind her house.

Mulder finally looked up, chuckling.

"I was just joking," he said.

Dana didn't answer.

"Hey come and have a look at this," he went on beckoning her over.

Dana set the broom aside and wandered over, walking through the gate that had been installed by their previous neighbours to allow the dogs to share the two backyards.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"I was hoping you could tell me," he turned the laptop around so the screen was facing her.

Bright lights danced across a black sky in a blurry YouTube video.

Dana raised her eyebrows and looked at him. The afternoon sun was shining down on them and caught his hazel eyes bringing out a vivid green within them. Dana faltered in her incredulity for a moment.

"A skeptic?" asked Mulder bringing her back to reality.

"Of what?" she asked.

"UFO's," he replied with a smile.

"You're not serious are you?" she asked also smiling.

"If you're asking do I seriously believe in UFO's, I'd say yes," he replied. "If you're asking do I seriously think this particular video is of a genuine UFO, I'd have to say probably not."

"You actually believe in UFO's and aliens and all that?" she asked again.

"Sure," answered Mulder with a slight laugh. "Don't you?"

"Absolutely not," replied Dana. "I believe in science not science-fiction!"

"There's more to this world than science can tell us, Scully," stated Mulder.

"What did you call me?" Dana asked with a slight frown.

"Scully," Mulder said. "Sorry, just a habit, people usually call me by my last name so I do the same."

"Dana! Are you there?" Mrs Scully called from inside the house.

"Oh, I better go," said Dana. "See you later Fox." She threw a smile over her shoulder as she ran back through the gate and into her house.

Mulder just sat there watching her. _Fox_ , he thought to himself. _She called me Fox..._


	5. Attack of the Muddy Four Paws

September 21, 2014

4:48pm

Mulder had installed security cameras out the front of his house. As they were FBI issued cameras the zoom on them was good enough so that positioned at the right angle he had a clear view of the front of Botch's house. This meant he could keep an eye on his movements at all times from anywhere within the house, the feed linked directly to his laptop as well as another computer he had set up in one of the bedrooms upstairs. He needed to keep all his surveillance gear up there lest any prying neighbours decided they should invite themselves in.

There had been barely any action across the street however. The guy rarely left the house and when he did it was just to collect the mail or newspaper or to weed the garden. He seemed so boringly ordinary. He did however spend a bit of time in the garage with the door closed.

Mulder was presently sitting on his couch watching a documentary on Bigfoot. In theory he had one eye on the TV and one on the laptop but in reality when the doorbell rang he jumped, not seeing who had approached the door.

He looked through the peep hole.

_Shit!_ It was A.D. Skinner from the FBI, come to check on him.

He dived back into the living room and grabbing the remote killed the TV. Returning to the door he opened it letting Skinner in without a word.

Once the door was secured they finally spoke.

"Sir," said Mulder. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm just here to make sure everything's going smoothly so far," answered Skinner. "Check up and see how things are progressing."

"Well I've set up the surveillance equipment," reported Mulder. "And I've been keeping a close eye on him. Other than that I plan on talking to the neighbours..."

"Very good," Skinner cut in. "Do whatever you have to. I'd like this animal behind bars before Christmas. Do you need anything else? Equipment? Supplies?"

"I'm all good for now, thanks sir," replied Mulder.

"Very well," said Skinner. "I'll get out of here now. Remember to check in every 48 hours and I'll be sending someone over regularly to check on your progress."

With that he exited through the front door and left Mulder alone again.

XXX

September 22, 2014

4:17pm

Dana Scully marched up the street and into her house.

"I'm home," she called out on her way through.

"How was your day?" her mother asked.

"Fine," returned Scully before calling out. "Queequeg! Here boy!"

The golden Pomeranian came running to her from the back of the house mud covering his lower half.

"Dana!" exclaimed her mother. "Get him out! Quick! He's getting mud everywhere!"

Scully gulped, then scooping the mud soaked ball of fluff up as she went headed straight for the back door.

Just as the door banged shut behind her, Queequeg leapt from Scully's arms and took off. Not paying attention to where the mischievous pup was going Scully bent down to lock the dog-door.

She heard someone cry out.

Scully gulped again and stood up, swinging around quickly as she did so to find Queequeg jumping up at Fox and barking. The gate between the two yards was ajar.

Scully hurried over and grabbed the dog mid bounce but it was too late. Fox's suit was covered in muddy paw prints.

"I am so sorry," she gasped as the little dog wriggled in her arms.

Mulder looked down at his muddied suit.

"What is that thing?" He finally asked trying to brush away the mud but only making it worse.

"He's a dog," giggled Scully.

"More like an over-fluffed, over-stuffed demonic rat," said Mulder also laughing.

"He's adorable!" defended Scully holding him up to her face and hugging him despite getting more mud all over her.

X

"She's over there talking to that creepy guy next door," announced Melissa looking out the window.

"Oh Melissa!" scolded Mrs Scully. "Stop calling him creepy!"

"Fine then spooky!" corrected Melissa.

"He's not spooky either!" retorted her mother. "He is actually really nice. You'd know that if you ever bothered to say hello."

"Whatever," she said dismissing her mother's point. "He is definitely spooky. I heard he believes in aliens!"

"Don't you believe in that kind of thing?" asked her mother, confused.

"Not aliens!" she shot back. "That's ridiculous!"

X

"It's fine, I'll just take it to the cleaners," Mulder was trying to stop Scully from wanting to launder his suit.

"I just feel terrible but," Scully continued. "Please let me make it up to you somehow."

"I'm serious Scully, it's cool, you don't have to do anything," Mulder said.

Scully still looked put out but didn't press the issue any further.

"Why are you wearing that anyway?" she asked.

"If a client drops by I like to look professional," Mulder replied without skipping a beat.

"Well you don't look too professional right now," returned Scully smirking.

"I did!" exclaimed Mulder laughing.

"I should really get this dog washed," said Scully. "I'll see you around Fox."

"Bye, Scully," smiled Mulder as she returned to her own backyard.

Scully was still smiling as she ran warm water into the tub for Queequeg's bath.


	6. I Could Be Your Girlfriend

September 30, 2014

7:57am

Mulder was once again sitting out the front of his house spying on Botch. The school bus had been and gone when Scully flew out of the house, her school bag swinging along behind her.

"You've missed it," he called out stopping her in tracks.

"Shit!" Scully mumbled.

No one else was home. Her mother had left really early that morning to visit her father who only had a day's leave out of town, Charlie had been staying at a friend's house and Melissa was on an overnight field trip. If she called Bill to come and get her and drive her to school she'd still be late plus she'd never hear the end of it from him.

Mulder was still watching her, amusement evident in his expression.

"Need a ride?" he asked, taking pity.

"Yes please," replied Scully not really seeing any other option. "But I don't want to put you out."

"Na, it's not a problem," said Mulder shrugging, there was nothing happening across the road, just like there hadn't been since he'd gotten there. He could afford to get Scully to school on time.

"Buckle up," he said as he started the engine and started reversing out of the driveway.

He looked out the rear window to see Botch reversing out of his own driveway at the same time.

"Son of a..." Mulder murmured watching in disbelief. How could this be happening? He couldn't blow his cover but he couldn't miss this opportunity to tail Botch either. It'd been weeks and this was the first sign of activity so far. God knows when the next time would be.

"Is everything okay?" asked Scully looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah, it's fine," Mulder replied absentmindedly as he put his foot down and reversed out onto the street swinging the car around and taking off after Botch. He couldn't let him get away.

"Whoa," said Scully nervously. "I won't be that late."

Mulder wasn't really listening. He was concentrating on catching up with Botch.

Mulder took a turn and tried to gain on Botch, he seemed to be in a hurry. He sped along, changing lanes to get closer.

"Ah, this isn't the way to school," said Scully even more nervously. For the first time she wondered if her sister was right about their neighbor.

Mulder was still looking intently ahead of them, his eyes narrowed, as they came to a stop at some lights.

"You should be in the other lane," Scully pointed out.

Finally Mulder snapped back to the reality that he had a sixteen year school girl riding shotgun while he tailed the suspected serial killer that happened to live across the road from her, he looked over at her and was a little shocked to see her startling blue eyes wide with fear.

The lights changed and the car in front of Mulder was slow to take off, in the meanwhile he lost sight of Botch.

"Dammit!" he said hitting the steering wheel with the palm of his hand.

Scully edged away from him in her seat. This had gone far enough. He'd lost Botch and in the process scared the shit out of Scully, ultimately achieving nothing.

"Sorry," he said softly. "Which way is the school again?"

"Left at the next lights," Scully squeaked.

Mulder threw her a smile and she seemed to relax a bit.

"Sorry," he repeated before inventing; "I just remember there's somewhere I've got to be."

"Sorry," said Scully looking down.

"It not important," Mulder said. "Not as important as getting you to school on time."

Scully looked up and smiled.

Mulder returned it as he took a left.

"Six blocks up on the right," said Scully, making sure he knew exactly where he was going.

"Hey how's that rat of yours?" asked Mulder, trying the ease the tension although it was pretty much non-existent now.

"He's fine, thanks!" said Scully grinning. "You know I always thought he looked a bit like a fox," she lied, teasing him.

"Hey! You can walk the rest of the way, you know!" he responded.

"It'd probably be safer," said Scully throwing a sidelong glance at him and smirking.

"You're probably right," he laughed pulling over behind the school bus that had just arrived itself.

"Thanks Fox," said Scully once they'd come to a complete stop.

"Later Scully," he said as she got out and closed the door behind her.

She waved at him through the window giving him one of her infectious smiles that he couldn't help but return.

"Who was that Dana? Your boyfriend?" teased one of the other kids as they ran past.

_I wish_ , thought Scully before she could stop herself. _Wait! What?_

Yeah, sure, maybe she had a bit of a crush on him because he was hot but did she really wish he was her boyfriend? The idea wasn't altogether bad.

The bell sounded indicating the start of the school day and Scully was forced to forget about Fox and get on with her day.

XXX

Mulder pulled back into his driveway and flew out of the car. He ran inside to grab some stuff before running across the road. If he couldn't follow Botch he'd at least see if he could poke around the house while it was empty. He knew he wasn't technically supposed to trespass but he just needed to see if he could find something that might point him in the right direction.

When he got to the front gate he noticed that the garden was ridiculously well kept. He went around the side and found a side door into the garage; locked of course but that wouldn't stop Mulder. He picked the lock with ease and pushed the door. It was hard to push as if something was blocking the way. Mulder put his shoulder against the door and gave it a good hard push; it opened enough to allow him to slip in. It was dark and musty. Mulder pulled out a torch and turned it on. It looked like a scene out of one of those shows about hoarders. It was messy and haphazard and certainly didn't match the meticulously kept garden out front. There was a weird smell. As Mulder shone the torch around he stopped and rested the beam of light on a chilling sight; a meat band saw stood in the middle of the garage, its blade glinted under the torchlight in a disturbing way. Mulder didn't want to think about what that was for but he had a pretty good idea. He shuddered as he approached. He leaned in close and could see meat still clung to part of the blade. Pulling an evidence bag from his pocket Mulder scraped some of the dried meat into it. Despite having worked in the Violent Crime Section for a while now and having written numerous profiles of the same kind of sicko that Botch was it was still a bit confronting to be facing it head on. Mulder took a few photos for later scrutiny and then got the hell out of there. The last thing he needed was to be charged with break and enter.

Once back in the supposed safety of his own house Mulder let out a sigh of relief. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the Bureau's forensics department. He had something that required urgent analysis.


	7. FBI Agents Are Awesome

October 3, 2014

3:42pm

"Hey Scully," Fox called out jogging up to his neighbor, who had just alighted the school bus.

"Hi Fox," she replied with a smile. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd get a run in before the rain," he answered pointing up at the hauntingly dark sky above. Then just as if the heavens had heard him there was a great flash of lightning and a crack of thunder. A second later the rain began to pour down on them.

"Ah!" Scully gasped.

She was drenched already. Fox grinned.

"Race ya!" he shouted over the sound of the thunder and rain and took off.

Scully ran after him. Both of them splashing through instantly formed puddles as they went.

Scully's keys which she'd already taken out of her bag slipped from her grasp as she tried to keep up with Fox. She stopped and swung around just in time to watch them disappear through a grate in the sidewalk.

"Oh no!" She cried out and Fox stopped coming back to her.

"What is it Scully?" he asked as the rain continued to soak them both.

"I dropped my keys," groaned Scully. "No one else will be home for a whole hour! I can't get into my house."

"Come on," returned Fox. "You can wait at my place. If you stay out in this you'll get sick."

They hurried the rest of the way up the street to his house and were both laughing by the time they got there, having splashed each other and almost slipped over numerous times. The rain was really bucketing down. Under the cover of the porch Scully tried to shake some of the water from her but to no avail. Fox fumbled with his keys in his slippery hands but finally unlocked the door. They both went to enter at the same time. One stepped forward and so did the other. One stepped back and so did the other. This went on a couple of times until Fox started singing;

"Dancing with you in the summer rain..."

"It's not even summer," said Scully rolling her eyes but laughing all the same.

"Ladies first," replied Fox ignoring her remark and putting his arm out allowing her to pass through the door.

Once they were both inside he closed the door behind them blocking out some of the sound so that the rain became a dull and rhythmic beat upon the roof. They both kicked off their shoes.

"Oh I can't believe I dropped my keys!" said Scully, dripping wet.

"I'll grab you a towel so you can dry off a bit," said Fox dashing upstairs. "Make yourself at home!" He called over his shoulder.

Scully wandered into the living room and took in the view. It was very sparse, with very little furniture. The couch looked old but comfortable and had a pillow and blanket on it as if he'd been sleeping there. There was a poster hanging on the wall; a flying saucer hovered above some trees. The words _I Want To Believe_ were printed across the bottom of it. Scully smiled to herself.

"Catch," called Fox from behind her and as she turned around a towel was flying through the air towards her. She caught it just in time.

"Thanks," she replied, drying herself.

"Sorry about the mess," said Fox quickly scooping up some papers that were strewn across the coffee table and snapping his laptop shut. He deposited these in another room and came back to start grabbing the blanket and pillows from the couch.

"Please have a seat," he said rubbing a towel over his hair.

Scully had to admit Fox looked really cute with his hair all wet and tasseled like that.

"What are you thinking Scully?" he asked with a quizzical look.

"Oh, nothing," Scully lied, blushing slightly.

She sat down quickly dumping her school bag on the floor.

Fox sat down next to her and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey, want to watch Twin Peaks?" asked Scully suddenly.

"Ah, okay..." replied Fox a little taken aback by her sudden request."But how? It's not on anymore."

"I have the DVD," explained Scully, rummaging through her bag and extracting the first season.

"You carry Twin Peaks around with you?" asked Fox raising his eyebrows.

"No," laughed Scully. "I lent it to my friend at school and they returned it today. Where's your DVD player?"

She'd gotten up and was standing in front of the TV with the disc in her hand.

"Oh, it's built in, on the right hand side," answered Fox before adding. "I didn't think you'd be a fan of that kind of show Scully. I thought it'd be too spooky for your taste."

"I like spooky," replied Scully looking at him and smiling as she returned to the couch.

"Oh you do, do you?" he smiled back. "You just don't believe in it?"

"It's a fictional show Fox," she replied. "Of course I don't believe in it."

By this time the menu had appeared on the screen and Scully grabbed the remote, selected episode three and pressed play.

"Hey, what are you doing?"asked Fox a little outraged. "Why are you starting in the middle?!"

"It's my favorite episode," shrugged Scully. "You've seen it before haven't you? I thought this would be right up your alley."

"Well yeah but I was in high school last time I watched it," he replied sulkily.

"Shush, it's starting," Scully held up her hand silencing him and grinning at the same time.

He obeyed settling back into the fluffy couch.

Mulder soon found that it was much more interesting to watch Scully rather than the TV. Every time Agent Cooper came on the screen her eyes lit up.

Just as the scene where he talks to Audrey about One-Eyed-Jacks ended Scully looked over to find him staring at her. He smiled knowingly.

"That is my favorite scene in the whole series," she explained.

"I could see that," he replied his grin broadening. "You've got a crush on Coop, don't you?"

Scully blushed but tried to keep it cool; "Yeah, so what?" she said looking back at the screen. "I suppose you've got a thing for Laura Palmer..."

"No," he replied thoughtfully. "I always thought there was something about Audrey."

"Really?" asked Scully, interested to hear what kind of girls Fox was into.

"Yeah," he said. "She was underrated. Heaps better than that Annie chick they brought in at the end of season two. I don't know what Coop was thinking."

Scully laughed; "Oh my God Fox, you ship Coop and Audrey?"

Mulder laughed too; "I guess so."

"Me too," returned Scully. "Actually I pretty much erase the second half of season two from my memory. It just went ridiculous even for Twin Peaks."

"Don't you think that Mr Botch across the road kind of looks like that Windom Earle guy though?" asked Mulder.

"Yes!" cried Scully as she thought about it.

They both burst out laughing.

When she finally caught her breath again and looked back at the TV, she quickly shushed him again.

"I love this bit!" she exclaimed.

Mulder looked up to see ducks swimming around in some water.

"Look at that! Ducks on the lake!" exclaimed Coop with as much excitement as Scully just had.

Mulder was smiling and found himself watching Scully rather than the TV again.

"What is it about Coop that you like?" asked Mulder a little while later.

"Well for starters he is really cute," gushed Scully. "And he's an FBI agent, that's awesome."

"You think FBI agents are awesome?" asked Fox with a strange expression that Scully couldn't really read.

"Yeah," shrugged Scully in a way that really reminded Mulder that she was a teenager.

As the credits began to roll Scully pressed stop and then ejected the disc, depositing it safely into its case again. Her eyes rested on the _I Want To Believe_ poster as she sat back down.

"What's with all the UFO and alien stuff?" asked Scully casually.

Fox looked at her and for the first time she saw a sadness in his hazel eyes that was quite unexpected.

"I don't mean to offend you or anything," she said quietly.

"You didn't offend me Scully," he replied in a serious tone but with a small smile. He hesitated.

"Forget I said anything," said Scully quickly.

"No, it's okay," said Mulder, taking a deep breath. "My sister was taken when I was twelve, she was eight. I believe she was abducted."

Scully looked at him in shock. She could tell he really did believe this but it was impossible. Aliens didn't exist and if they did the probability of them visiting Earth was practically non-existent.

"What makes you think that?" asked Scully not wanting to upset him.

"My parents wouldn't talk about it, no one would, I couldn't remember anything from the night she went missing so I did something called deep regression hypnosis. While under this hypnosis I recalled being paralyzed and sensing a presence in the room while a bright light shone through the window. I could hear a voice in my head telling me not to be afraid."

Scully looked at him, she didn't know what to say to that. What could she possibly say? Then something came to her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "So sorry for your loss."

Scully reached out instinctively and touched his hand.

He didn't pull away. He knew he should. He'd told her too much about the real him. He'd let her get too close by touching him but he didn't want to pull away.

They were staring into each other's eyes. Without knowing why or how Scully lent towards him.

Mulder responded by leaning forward himself. No word was uttered. They were mere inches apart when...

The shrill sound of Mulder's cell phone in his breast pocket broke their connection. He faltered and pulled it out looking at the caller ID; his contact at the forensics department.

"Sorry," he said and Scully noticed a completely different vibe take over him. "I really have to take this."

"Sure," she said. What else could she say?

"Hello," Mulder answered walking away into another room. His voice was low and secretive.

Admittedly Scully felt a little hurt but she knew it was irrational. He was entitled to have a private conversation. She had no idea who was on the other end of that call. She was just his next door neighbor.

"What'd you find?" Mulder asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Not much, sorry to tell you," came the reply.

"What was it?" asked Mulder anxiously.

"Hog, sorry to tell you Mulder but it was just pork chops," was the simple reply.

"Dammit!" said Mulder, closing his eyes in frustration. "Thanks Andy."

He hung up. Still no further ahead. All this proved was that Botch was a bacon lover. Him and the other 99% of the population of America.

"Are you okay?" asked Scully when he came back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "It was nothing."

Scully could sense that she shouldn't be there anymore.

"The rain has stopped," she pointed out. "I'll get out of your hair now. Mom should be home in about ten minutes or so."

"Are you sure?" said Mulder walking over to the window and peering out at the clearing sky.

"Yeah," smiled Scully. "It was nice of you to let me come over."

She shouldered her back pack and walked towards the door, putting her shoes back on.

"Scully," said Fox just as she straightened up again. He walked towards her, closing the gap.

"Yes?" she asked looking at him.

"I... had fun this afternoon," he finally said. "Thanks for sharing your favorite episode with me."

His usual easy-going smile was back in place. He opened the door for her.

"I had fun too," she said and then she left, with him closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Twin Peaks! Thanks for reading again! Please comment.


	8. Batter Up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, I am Australian and therefore no nothing about baseball! All of my knowledge is based on tv/movies and Wikipedia ;)

October 4, 2014

11:13am

"Strike!" called a boy of about fourteen that lived two doors up from Mulder. "You're out!"

A girl of about fifteen with curly blonde hair that stuck out from underneath her Yankees cap sulked off.

A younger boy of about seven years old was pitching and he had a surprisingly good arm.

The kids in Scully's neighborhood played baseball in the street most weekends during the good weather.

They had managed to rope Fox into playing with them this time.

Scully sat under a tree nearby, she was meant to be reading a book but found herself watching the game instead. Fox was wearing a jersey from some team she didn't know, not that she knew any teams really. Scully had never been able to sit through an entire game. Her father and brothers were fans and Charlie was playing today.

The jersey suited Fox, she felt herself becoming smitten as she watched him smiling and laughing.

_Snap out of it Dana!_ she told herself. _It's not going to happen._

She knew she was probably just setting herself up for heartache but she couldn't help it. She had it bad for David Fox.

They changed sides and Fox went into bat.

"Hey Scully!" he called out. "Wanna play?"

"No thanks!" she replied. She didn't need to make an idiot of herself.

"C'mon," he said jogging over to her and holding the bat out, offering it to her with that smile.

_Damn you_ , she cursed him in her head.

Everyone else was imploring her to play as well by this time.

"I've never actually hit a baseball before," she attempted one last time to get out of it.

"I'll teach you," he said, still with that damn smile.

Everyone cheered as she stepped up to the plate.

"I'm going to make an idiot of myself," announced Scully.

"No you won't!" countered Fox confidently. "You'll go easy on her won't you Luke?" he added to the tiny pitcher.

Luke Doggett nodded knowingly.

Scully found the bat surprising heavy. Suddenly Fox had his arms around her and was holding onto the bat as well taking some of the weight. It felt nice to have him so close. Scully thought that maybe baseball wasn't so boring after all.

Luke threw the ball nice and straight.

Scully felt Fox guiding her, swinging the bat with her and as she closed her eyes heard the sound of the bat colliding with the ball.

"I hit it!" exclaimed Scully.

"Foul ball!" called the boy who lived next door to the Doggetts.

"It helps to keep your eyes open," whispered Fox in her ear.

She could hear the laugh in his voice, feel his breath in her hair, she was grabbed by the suddenly urge to turn around and kiss him right there and then. But she didn't.

Luke threw another straight one.

This time Scully kept her eyes open; together with Fox she hit the ball again.

"Run!" shouted Fox watching the ball fly over Charlie's head.

Scully took off; she was half way to first base when she heard a smashing sound.

"Uh oh!" she heard a few kids say.

Some of the others took off retreating to their houses.

"What are you kids up to?!" It was Mr Botch and he didn't look happy.

"It was an accident," squeaked Scully. "I'm so sorry."

"You did this?!" began Botch but he faltered upon seeing Mulder standing there. By this stage a lot of the kids were either gone or going.

"It was just an accident," said Botch softly. "Like you said. No one got hurt, that's the main thing. Windows are replaceable."

"I'm really sorry," Scully apologized again.

"Not another word about it," replied Botch turning to retreat back into his house.

Mulder saw an opportunity and followed him calling out;

"Hey Mr Botch," he said. "It was kind of my fault too. Please let me make it up to you, I could fix that window for you, free of charge."

If he was invited into the house, he could get a bit of a look around, legally.

"That's very kind of you Mr Fox," replied Botch. "But no thank you. I'd prefer to get a professional to do it."

He was almost at his door now.

"I'd do a good job," pushed Mulder. "Please let me, I don't want my mistake costing you money."

"I'll send you the bill then," replied Botch and with that he entered his house closing the door behind him.

Mulder walked over and picked up the discarded bat. It was just him and Scully left now.

"Thanks," smiled Scully. "For teaching me how to hit a ball. Even if it was straight through Mr Botch's window."

Fox laughed.

"Anytime Scully," he replied.

Scully went and collected her book from underneath the tree and waving to him went home.

Just as her door shut, a silver car pulled up outside Mulder's place.

Mulder, who was collecting the bases, looked over to see Skinner stepping out of the vehicle.

_Shit_ , he thought.

"Can I have a word?" asked Skinner in a low voice, slamming the car door.

"Sure," replied Mulder dumping the baseball gear in his front yard.

Once Mulder had shut the door, Skinner rounded on him.

"What the hell have you been doing Agent Mulder?!" he exploded.

Mulder opened his mouth to reply but apparently Skinner wasn't finished.

"First, I hear from forensics that you're sending them samples for testing and then I get a phone call this morning from my surveillance team telling me that you're playing baseball!"

"Your surveillance team?!" Mulder yelled back. "You're spying on me?!"

"When I heard that you had somehow obtained forensic samples I had to find out what you were up to. There was nothing in your reports about that," replied Skinner defensively. "I had them tap into your feed."

"I don't believe this!" exclaimed Mulder. "You're hindering my assignment!"

"I am your superior," said Skinner steadily but with authority. "I gave you this assignment and I can take it away."

"This is a load of BS," said Mulder.

"What's BS, Agent Mulder, is you playing baseball when you should be keeping tabs on a dangerous suspect!" retorted Skinner angrily. "Now I want to see your surveillance footage."

"Sounds like you have already seen it," muttered Mulder.

"Now!" demanded Skinner.

Mulder led the way upstairs and they watched the stored footage on sped-up time. They both watched as Scully delivered a pie, as Mulder broke into Botch's garage, as Mulder and Scully ran through the rain laughing and finally as Mulder taught Scully to hit a baseball.

"Who the hell is this red-haired girl?" Skinner demanded, hands on hips.

Mulder stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Dana Scully," he supplied. "She lives next door."

"Is that a problem for you?" asked Skinner.

"No," lied Mulder.

"Right, well it better stay that way!" said Skinner with force. "That's an order! One more wrong move Mulder and you're finished! You're lucky I don't take your badge for that little break and enter job! I'll be keeping the live feed to headquarters and increasing visits. Don't stuff this up!"

Skinner stormed off leaving Mulder looking at the paused image of himself with his arms around Dana Scully, he couldn't help but smile and thank God that Skinner hadn't continued watching what happened with Botch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Unnatural" is one of my favourite X Files episodes. I love Mulder in his Roswell Grays jersey :) Thanks for reading. Please comment.


	9. Trick or Treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's probably my favourite :)

October 31, 2014

6:01pm

The Scullys arrived at the Doggetts' annual Halloween party one minute late. By today's standards however this was early.

Margaret and Bill Snr were dressed conservatively as Mr and Mrs Wilson from Dennis the Menace which Charlie insisted were not real costumes. He, himself, had gone all out and was dressed in a full Yeti suit. Melissa was dressed as Sandy from Grease, the black leather version. Bill Jr who was home from college for a few days was in attendance as well, wearing a cheap Hulk costume he'd bought only an hour ago.

Scully had put a lot of effort into her costume. Ever since she could remember she'd loved dressing up for Halloween. This year she wore a tight, silvery gray jumpsuit. Her short red hair was slicked back, her face painted the same color as her outfit and large, black almond-shaped eyes were painted over her black contact-lensed eyes.

John answered the door and they all filed in. He commented on all the costumes, saying to Scully who was last;

"Wow! Looking good Dana!"

"Right back at ya John," she said with a huge grin, he was sporting his usual Frankenstein's Monster costume that he pulled out every year.

Barbara Doggett came into the room dressed as Marilyn Monroe and greeted them all.

"You're the first ones here," she informed them. "Luke's in the living room, make yourself at home."

"Barbara, can I help you in the kitchen?" asked Mrs Scully as they bustled off together. "I've brought a pumpkin pie..."

John and the two Bills were all cracking open a beer by this stage. Scully wandered off to find Luke. She found him playing a video game. He looked absolutely adorable in a tiny Woody from Toy Story costume.

"Hey Luke," she said sitting down next to him. "Cool costume."

"Thanks," he replied looking up at her with a grin. He was missing a front tooth making him look even cuter. "Wow I like yours!"

His eyes widened when he spotted her costume. They were the same intense blue as his father's.

"Thank you Luke," she said beaming. "I worked real hard on it. What are you playing anyway?"

"Animal Crossing," he chimed.

"Luke, turn that off now buddy, guests are arriving," John had just stuck his head in the door.

"Okay Dad," he switched the Wii off and trotted off to where his father had just disappeared to.

Scully remained where she was and not half a minute later someone entered the room.

"Dana!" cried out a girl the same age as Scully with dark hair and eyes, dressed as a vampire.

It was Monica Reyes. She lived right at the opposite end of the street and went to the same school as Scully. They'd been friends since they were kids but weren't super close.

"Hi Monica," replied Scully.

"Nice costume!" she said claiming the seat next to Scully. "Good work in securing us prime position."

Scully laughed. Monica was one of those people that everybody liked, she was outgoing and a bit of a joker but also kind and very clever.

A few more people were starting to arrive.

John Doggett had made his way into the huge living room also and was having an animated debate about football with a couple of other guys.

"God I wish he'd worn his cop uniform," said Monica looking over in his direction.

"Monica!" exclaimed Scully.

"What?!" asked Monica. "He looks hot in it. Every time I see him in it makes me want to break the law just so he'll arrest me."

She giggled at the astonished look on Scully's face, before adding; "Come on, you've got to admit you've thought the same thing."

"No I haven't actually," defended Scully. "It's kind of weird because he's Luke's dad and he is married."

"Oh don't give me that," scolded Monica with a glint in her eye. "It's not as if I'd actually do anything, I just think he's hot. I thought everyone did."

"Well I don't think of him that way," Scully reiterated. There was only one person she'd been thinking of that way lately.

"Oh my god, look at that!" Monica suddenly exclaimed. "What the?!"

Scully looked up and saw exactly what she was talking about.

Mr Botch was there wearing a full clown suit that looked like it was about a hundred years old. It was all faded and baggy and even said Patches on the right breast. His face was painted and everything.

Scully and Monica shuddered involuntarily at the same time.

"Crap!" Monica was now looking towards the doorway.

Brad Follmer, Monica's ex was standing there, not wearing a costume probably either because he thought he was too cool or he thought that he was prolific enough of a person to come as himself. His usual arrogant smirk was in place.

Just then, Botch let out a clown laugh that sent chills down Scully's spine.

"Fuck this!" said Monica grabbing Scully's arm and dragging her away towards the door at the other end of the room.

Scully had no choice but to go with her.

"That was just way too much creep in one room for me," said Monica when she finally stopped.

They had come full circle back to the front door.

"I know," agreed Scully. "That Botch guy is freaky. I know it's Halloween but that costume is just wrong!"

"Aw, I thought you'd like it."

Scully's head flew up, Fox was standing in the doorway, having just arrived. He had his hair styled exactly like Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks and was wearing a tan trench coat over a black suit.

If Scully was an anime character her eyes would've been love-heart shaped by now.

"I love it!" she exclaimed without thinking.

"Thanks. You didn't do too bad yourself Scully," Fox replied with a laughing smile.

"Excuse me!" said Monica loudly.

The other two looked at her.

"Cool outfit Coop," said Monica in acknowledgement to Fox before turning to her friend and saying; "Can I talk to you for a second Dana?"

"Sure," said Scully but she knew she didn't really have a choice.

"You like him!" declared Monica in a whisper once they were out of earshot.

"What are you talking about?" asked Scully, thankful that the silver face paint wouldn't reveal the blush beneath.

"I have this six sense for that kind of thing," explained Monica. "I can feel things about people and you my friend have got the hots for Fox!"

Scully bit her lip before saying with less confidence than she would've liked; "I don't know what you are talking about Monica Reyes. He's my next door neighbor."

"Convenient," pointed out Monica with raised eyebrows.

"Mon," said Scully, it was almost a plea.

"Don't worry Dana," she cut in. "Your secret is safe with me." She made a motion as if she were pulling a zip along her lips, putting a padlock on it and throwing away the key.

When they returned, Fox hadn't made it much further.

Barbara Doggett was telling him how wonderful the jack-o-lantern he'd carved was. Scully caught a glimpse of it in Mrs Doggett's hands who was marching off with it, a smile plastered across her face. It was an alien.

"Well, I better mingle!" said Monica winking at Scully and leaving her alone with Fox.

They proceeded into the party. By this time everyone had arrived and were eating, drinking and chatting away.

"So Scully," said Fox leaning up against a wall. "What inspired your costume?"

"Oh I just have this annoying neighbor who never shuts up about aliens," she replied smiling. "Thought I'd humor him."

"Oh, is that right?" asked Fox with mock intrigue.

"How about you?" asked Scully.

"Pretty much the same," he replied. "Only my annoying neighbor never shuts up about Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks."

"Well that's understandable," said Scully matter-of-factly. "He's got it."

They were still chatting away when Scully's dad appeared at her side.

"Ahab," she greeted him.

"Starbuck," he returned.

"You haven't meet F... David Fox have you?" Scully continued. "He lives in Mr and Mrs Blunt's old house."

"Haven't had the pleasure," her father returned looking at Fox and extending his hand. "William Scully."

They shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you Mr Scully," said Fox.

At that moment Bill Jnr arrived on the scene.

A similar introduction played out.

Mr Scully was called away by another neighbor who hadn't seen him for a while.

"Excuse me," he said exiting, leaving just the three of them.

Bill who had had a few beers by now asked; "What the hell kind of costume is that?"

"Bill!" reprimanded Scully, mortified.

"Ah don't worry about it Scully," said Fox dismissively.

"How old are you?" asked Bill suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"Twenty seven," replied Fox not really knowing why he was being asked that question.

"Dana is sixteen," said Bill. "Stay away from her."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Scully. "What are you talking about?!"

She glared at Bill, Fox seemed lost for words.

"I know what he's after," said Bill still eyeing Fox with contempt.

Scully dragged Bill away angrily.

"We are just friends," said Scully firmly. "You don't know what you are talking about. You've only just met him."

"All guys are the same," said Bill off-handedly.

"What you're saying is ridiculous," said Scully finally. "I can't believe you."

Scully marched back over to Fox and said; "Come on, Fox."

He obeyed; not wanting to piss her off any more but for some reason couldn't get Bill's words out of his head.

"It's kind of hot in here with this coat on," said Fox. "Want to go outside?"

"Okay," Scully agreed and they exited the house into the backyard.

It was all lit up with fairy lights and jack-o-lanterns. A few others had ventured out too. Some teenagers, a few smokers and some kids were running around.

"Oh," gasped Scully. "It's definitely not too hot out here."

"Here," said Fox immediately.

He took his trench coat off and put it around Scully's shoulders.

"I know it's not actually Coop's but that's probably as close as you'll get," he said with a small smile.

"Thanks," she looked up to smile at him. It was still warm and somehow she found it even better than if it'd belonged to Coop.

Flash!

Scully blinked. So did Fox.

"Sorry!" said Mrs Doggett cheerily, holding up a camera. "Just getting some snaps for the album. You looked so natural, I couldn't resist."

She wandered off to take more photos.

"You don't see much of your dad?" Fox asked Scully after a short silence.

"No," she replied. "He's away a lot with the Navy. Sometimes he comes home for a while and sometimes he is away a lot. He's a captain."

"Is that why you call him Ahab?" asked Fox.

"Kind of, I guess," answered Scully thoughtfully. "Moby Dick is my favorite book. I've called him Ahab and he's called me Starbuck for as long as I can remember. He's not always around but he always makes sure he is home for the important things."

"Like Doggett's Halloween party?" said Fox seriously.

"Well of course!" said Scully. "Who'd miss this?!"

Fox laughed and then sobered.

"You're lucky Scully," he said. "At least your parents care enough to make an effort."

"Are you not close to your parents?" asked Scully gently.

"Na," answered Fox. "After my sister's disappearance things were never the same. I don't keep in touch with my father and I don't see much of my Mom either."

"Don't you get lonely?" asked Scully after a moment.

"Sometimes I guess," said Fox quietly. "Not so much now..."

Scully was watching Fox. He looked so forlorn at that moment she just wanted to give him a big hug but somehow it seemed inappropriate, especially after what Bill had said. Instead she reached out and touched his arm.

"Hey everyone," Luke called suddenly from the backdoor in his cute little voice. "Come and see!"

No one knew what he was talking about yet no one resisted. They all followed him back inside. When they got there, they found Mr Botch or rather "Patches" making balloon animals for all the kids.

Mulder watched on, with mingled feelings of horror and fascination. It disgusted him to see the act playing out before him yet he couldn't look away either. A friendly clown on the outside, a terrible monster within, and all these innocent people oblivious to the charade.

"That creepy bastard," someone suddenly muttered next to Mulder. Apparently not everyone.

He turned to see it was Monica Reyes.

"Excuse me?" said Mulder quietly.

"I don't know if you know much about paranormal phenomenon Coop," she continued quietly. "But I get these feelings about people. It's like a supernatural thing, more than just intuition, and I can tell you I get a very bad vibe from old Patches there."

She tilted her beer bottle towards Botch as she said this and the Federal Agent was so struck by what she had said he didn't even try to stop her from continuing her underage drinking.

"Monica! What are you doing?!" Scully, who was on Mulder's other side, had leaned around in front of him and had spotted Monica with the bottle in her hand.

"I didn't think you were serious about getting arrested," she hissed.

"Relax," said Monica casually. "John's cool."

"He's a cop," Scully reminded her. "And you're drinking in his house."

Their loud whispers had knocked Mulder out of his trance.

"Hey, give me that," he said plucking the drink from Monica's hand and taking a swig himself.

"Hey!" said Monica indignantly. "I was enjoying that."

"And now I am," said Fox.

By this time Patches had finished his show and the crowd had dispersed.

Mulder watched Botch move towards the door. He had a feeling he should follow him. It was the whole reason he'd come tonight, wasn't it?

Skinner's voice suddenly sprang up in his mind; _is this a problem for you?_

_No_ , he lied to himself this time.

"Fox, where are you going?" asked Scully when he started to cross the room.

"I'm going home," he said without stopping. "I've got things to do."

"What?"

He left Scully behind with a confused look on her face. He couldn't have her go with him.

He'd just rounded the corner, almost running into Bill, when he saw Botch disappear through the front door.

"What's the hurry?" sneered Bill but Mulder ignored him and kept going.

Once out on the street, Mulder pulled out his gun.

The street was empty and he could just hear Botches quiet footfalls. He followed him at a distance.

They were about half way back to their houses when Botch suddenly burst into song.

"I'm Patches the clown!" was one line Mulder could make out.

"You freaky son of a bitch," muttered Mulder, peering out from behind a tree.

Botch practically skipped back to his house singing his eerie song. Once he reached his front gate he let out a blood chilling clown laugh, clicked his heels and proceeded in through the front door.

Mulder was still standing frozen to the spot moments after Botch was gone. Something about that laugh really brought home the fact that this really was some crazy serial killer he was dealing with and that all the people in this street which Mulder had come to know and befriend were in danger. Who would the next victim be? Mulder hadn't personally known the murder victims he'd dealt with before. This was new territory for him and right then he felt like retreating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! Doggett and Reyes make their entrance :) Thanks for reading. Please comment.


	10. The Calm Before The Storm

November 1, 2014

10:13am

Mulder was freaking out. He'd never really considered that Botch might target someone he knew, someone he cared about. While the loss of a life was always a tragedy, the loss of someone's life in this street would be a personal tragedy for him. He never imagined he'd get this involved in this false life he was leading while undercover. Botch's usual victims were young women, mostly college students, but what if he deviated and decided on a younger victim? What if he targeted Scully?

Mulder decided there and then that the only means of protecting his neighbours was to take Botch down. He had to be careful though, if he wanted to stop Botch once and for all he needed to play all of his cards right.

The sound of the doorbell brought Mulder out of his reverie and he went to answer it. It was Scully.

"Hi," she said, in a kind of nervous tone.

"Hey Scully," replied Mulder. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said. "You left kind of suddenly last night."

"Come in," said Mulder, not answering her question.

He suddenly had the feeling that he didn't want Botch seeing her at his house.

"Coffee?" he asked once they were inside.

"No thanks," Scully declined. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered pouring himself a cup. "I just remembered I had some stuff to do for work last night. Sorry I was a bit abrupt."

He took a sip and Scully noticed he looked very wired, like he hadn't slept last night.

"Okay," she smiled. "Just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything Bill said."

Her eyes met his for a second before he laughed it off.

"Nope," he said. "Just work stuff."

"Okay," said Scully again. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed though.

XXX

November 9, 2014

9:52pm

Scully was sitting at her desk in her bedroom staring at her computer. She wasn't really concentrating though. She was thinking about Fox. She did a lot of that lately. No matter how many times she told herself it wasn't going to happen, she still found herself dreaming of him.

Suddenly something flew through her open window, under her nose and landed on the floor.

Scully looked down at it confused for a second and then picked it up; a paper aero plane. There was writing on the wing: _Can't sleep?_

Wrote underneath it: _No. You?_

She leant out the window and felt the cold air on her skin, shivering slightly she sent the plane sailing back through the air and into Fox's open window.

It was soon returning and this time Scully caught it midair. She read: _Still working, what are you doing over there?_

She wrote back: _Just watching the Roswell alien autopsy on YouTube._

With a smirk she sent it on its way once again and it returned: _Really?!_

_As if! I'm studying for English!_

_Disappointing. You'd learn a lot more from the autopsy video._

_I doubt that._

_Why don't you just call me and we can argue about this properly..._

Scully stared at the phone number scrawled on the folded piece of paper, Fox's phone number!

With a shaking hand Scully dialed the number. He picked up after the first ring.

"Fox," he said exactly as she'd heard him say every other time he'd answered his phone in front of her.

"You know the whole Roswell UFO crash thing was just a cover up," she said smiling. "To stop people finding out about the government's experimental aircraft."

"Scully, Scully, Scully," Fox answered. "You didn't think I bought that crap about the weather balloon did you? But you've got it wrong too. The top secret experimental aircraft is the cover story. Make people think that they were trying to cover up that so we'd be distracted from the truth."

"And the truth being?" asked Scully although she knew the answer.

"That they shot an alien spacecraft out of the sky and were doing autopsies on the dead ones and keeping the live ones as prisoners! Probably stealing their technology and DNA while they were at it!"

Scully rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see her.

"I just don't know how you can believe that when you have no evidence whatsoever to back it up," she went on.

"Eye witness accounts are underrated," replied Fox. "Why is it that everyone who comes forward about these kinds of things are always automatically considered liars?"

"It's not that I think they're lying," explained Scully. "I just need some hard scientific evidence before I will believe anything. I think some people just want to believe. I need to see it for myself to believe."

"You know you'll never see it if you aren't open to the possibility though," said Fox. "Science doesn't have all the answers just yet Scully."

"It has a lot of them though," defended Scully. "A lot more answers then your eye witnesses."

"I'm never going to convince you, am I?" Fox sighed.

"Not unless you can give me some physical proof," she confirmed.

Fox laughed and Scully smiled.

By the time they hung up it was 12:01am and Scully was finding it harder and harder to tell herself it was never going to happen.


	11. The Storm

November 10, 2014

3:59pm

Scully was glad to finally be home. It had been a long day. Staying up late on a school night was not the best idea but it was still making her smile so she didn't regret it.  
Once again she was the first one home. Apparently the only member of the Scully family who didn't have a life, at least that's what Melissa had declared earlier that day.  
Scully looked over at Fox's house and wondered what he was doing. After a moment she remembered what she was doing and turned the key, opened the door and walked inside.  
She shivered involuntarily but it wasn't cold. Her mother had left the heater on. She closed the door behind her and kicked off her shoes.  
Queequeg hadn't barked. It was strangely quiet. He always greeted her with a bark and a wagging tail.  
"Queequeg!" Scully called out. "You there boy?"  
Something must have happened to him! she thought suddenly.  
The quietness was pressing in on Scully now. She almost couldn't stand it.  
She hurried into the living room looking for him and then up stairs, grateful for the sound of her socked feet against the carpet. So grateful that as she entered her room she didn't notice the sound of another pair of feet. Not until it was too late.  
Bang!  
Her door slammed close behind her and she spun around.  
"W... What are you doing?" she managed to say.  
The other person did not answer. They just stared at her, a strange expression that Scully had never witnessed before was upon their face.  
"How did you get in here?" she asked, trying to hide the terror in her voice and edging ever so slightly backwards towards her desk.  
Again, there was no reply. He just held up something, something shiny, something jingly, something very familiar.  
Scully recognized the keys she'd dropped that day in the rain. Fox had checked the drain the next morning; they'd never been able to find them...  
"Dana," his voice uttering her name sent a violent shiver down her spine.  
She stepped back again and felt her desk behind her. There was nowhere left to go.  
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "I just need your help."  
"You need help alright!" said Scully, trying to be bold. "What the hell do you think you're doing in my house?!"  
"It's Luke," he continued with a crazed edge to both his voice and the look in his eye. "He's been hurt. He fell from his bike."  
Scully felt like someone had just dropped a lead ball in her stomach.  
"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What have you done to Luke?"  
She could feel tears in her eyes now. This could not be happening.  
"Nothing," he went on innocently. "I need your help to fix him."  
"You sick bastard!" Scully yelled lunging forward all of a sudden.  
There was a glint of something silver in the air as she threw herself at the intruder stabbing wildly at him with a pair of scissors she had felt behind her on the desk. It was all in vain however he grabbed her wrists and overpowered her, the sharp implement falling from her limp hand.  
"That wasn't very nice," he hissed.  
Next thing all Scully could see, hear or feel was stars. Bright lights danced across her vision, deafness fell upon her ears and the side of her face felt like a thousand white hot needles were being driven into her skin. The tears really started to fall now. She dared not speak.  
She had fallen to the floor without realizing. A hand roughly grabbed her behind the neck and shoved something in front of her face. It was a smart phone picture of Luke Doggett tied and gagged in some poorly lit location.  
Scully felt like she wanted to vomit.  
"Stand up!" he ordered and she obeyed. "Walk with me. Do anything to raise the alarm and little Luke will never see the light of day again!"  
Scully couldn't see any way out of it. She couldn't risk Luke's life to save her own so she walked. She walked out of her room, down the stairs, out the front door and across the road, all the while with Garland Theodore Botch at her side.


	12. Always Take Back Up

November 10, 2014

4:08pm

"Mulder," he answered his phone on the sixth ring seeing it was Skinner. He didn't have much time.

"Did you see that?" asked Skinner immediately.

"Yes!" replied Mulder, shoving his gun in its holster and taking the stairs three at a time. "I'm..."

"Don't you dare go over there alone," cut in Skinner. "I'm sending back up as we speak."

"It'll be too late!" shouted Mulder almost hysterically. "He's got Scully. I have to get over there now."

"I'm ordering you to stay put Mulder!" returned Skinner. "You told me that girl wasn't a problem."

"She's not," said Mulder angrily. "Botch is the problem! And I'm going to fix it!"

"Mulder!" said Skinner through gritted teeth, trying to keep cool. "If you enter that house without back up, I'll have your badge."

"It's yours," replied Mulder, hanging up.

It immediately began to ring again. Mulder ignored it. He turned the door handle and opened the door.

He didn't know if it was the fresh air or the echo of Skinner's words still ringing in his ears but he decided he did indeed need back up. His phone was still ringing, he looked at it... the caller ID read; Scully.

He answered it.

"Scully!" he said hopefully.

No reply. He heard a scuffling noise and a staticky crack before it went dead... Beep beep beep.

"Fuck!" Mulder pocketed it, making his decision.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mulder bashed the Doggett's front door with force and it was answered quickly by Mrs Doggett. Her face was already awash with concern.

"Have you found Luke?" she burst out anxiously.

"No," panted Mulder, breathless from his sprint up the street."Wait, what?!"

"Luke's missing," she said emotionally, tears streaming down her face.

"That son of a bitch," muttered Mulder, wondering if Luke had suffered the same fate as Scully. It seemed too big of a coincidence that they would both go missing that afternoon.

"Excuse me?" said John Doggett appearing in the doorway still attaching his police belt but dressed in his street clothes, not his uniform. "What's going on? Why were you banging on our door?"

Throwing caution to the wind, Mulder pulled out his badge and held it up.

"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder," he revealed. "I've been keeping tabs on Botch, a suspect of the Bureau's but this afternoon he has proven to be more than just a suspect."

"He has Luke?!" asked Doggett quickly.

"I don't know," answered Mulder. "Maybe. But he definitely has Dana Scully!"

"Let's go!" said Doggett.

They ran down the street at full pace coming to an abrupt halt at the front of Botch's house.

"You take the back," commanded Doggett going into full cop mode. "I'll take the front."

There was no time to argue so Mulder went with it. They drew their guns in unison and he ran down the side of the house and almost tripped over something in the yard, it was Luke's bicycle. So his fears were confirmed; Botch had taken Luke as well. Something must've gone wrong. This didn't fit Botch's profile. There was no time to think about it now. Mulder did a quick sweep of the backyard and then edged along the back of the house and tried the door; locked. He took a couple of steps back and then put the shoulder in. It worked, the door busted open and Mulder stumbled in.

Doggett was already there looking around gun held out in front of him, he lowered it upon seeing Mulder. He shook his head indicating he'd found nothing.

They did a quick sweep of the rest of the house and still found nothing. There was only one place left, the basement...

XXX

4:19pm

Scully's face was still aching when Botch had thrown her into the corner of his disgusting basement. He had been binding her hands and feet with rope when they heard two crashes upstairs.

"Seems like your FBI agent is here to save you," he muttered, securing the last knot. "Too bad he will be too late."

Scully didn't know what he was talking about, unless... she looked over at her smashed cell phone on the floor. Maybe Fox somehow knew, maybe he would come...

She heard a noise to her left and shuffled around to see little Luke Doggett, tied up like her. Tears sprang to her eyes. He seemed only semi-conscious.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked desperately.

"Silence," barked Botch shoving a gag in her mouth so she could hardly breathe.

He wrapped his hands around her neck and between the feeling of him touching her and the gag in her mouth she felt like vomiting again.

_This is it_ , she thought but he let go and crossed the dark room to the other side. Scully couldn't tell what he was doing, she was just glad he wasn't near her for that second.

Bang!

Suddenly light shone down from the top of the stairs and Scully squinted in that direction; two men with guns began descending.

Botch darted into the shadows, hiding.

Fox came into view and relief washed over Scully; he had come for her. John Doggett was with him. They were both toting pistols.

"Luke!" Doggett suddenly exclaimed, pushing past Mulder to get to his son.

At that exact moment Mulder felt something hard hit him in the back of the knee, he buckled and fell down the last few steps, his gun slipping from his grip. As he still lay on the floor, Botch appeared from underneath the stairs and threw something, it was heading towards Doggett.

"Look out!" yelled Mulder.

Just in time Doggett ducked and the object skimmed over him hitting the opposite wall and smashing to pieces.

Doggett stood up straight and held his gun out in front of him.

Mulder, whose leg was still paining managed to stand up. He'd just picked up his gun when Botch's voice rang out from the darkness. Neither Mulder nor Doggett's eyes had fully adjusted yet but they both swung around to the direction the voice had come from.

"Drop your weapons or she dies," he said. "You know I will do it."

The last comment was directed at Mulder.

Botch was holding the bound and gagged Scully in front of him, a knife pressed against her neck.

"Don't hurt her," said Mulder.

"Ha!" laughed Botch.

"What sort of a shot are you?" muttered Doggett a little to Mulder's right.

Mulder gulped. He wasn't sure he could safely hit Botch and not Scully.

"Guns on the ground now!" demanded Botch pushing the knife into Scully skin.

She winced as the sharp blade broke the surface, a small amountof blood oozed put of the tiny wound.

"Okay, okay," said Mulder holding up his hands and slowly lowering his gun to the ground.

"You too," Botch directed his order at Doggett who had no choice but to follow Mulder's lead.

Botch slackened his hold on Scully, pulling the knife away from her skin.

"There's no way out this time," said Mulder. "Just let her go."

"I could just kill you all," retorted Botch.

"The FBI are on their way," countered Mulder. "They know I'm here. They know Scully and Doggett are here too. They'll come looking."

Botch suddenly looked angry; he was cornered and didn't like it.

Scully's mind was racing all the while. FBI? On their way? Why were they talking like they knew more than she did?

Botch's grip tightened on her again. Then, suddenly he pushed her hard and fast away from him. Her legs were bound, she lost balance and braced herself for the fall but it didn't come, it was broken by someone catching her, by Fox.

She heard a crash.

Doggett had dived at Botch tackling him as he'd ran for the staircase but he was still holding the knife and slashed at Doggett. He made contact, opening a long but reasonably shallow cut along Doggett's right forearm.

The weakness caused by the cut however had Doggett at a disadvantage. Botch had him pinned down, his hands around Doggett's throat, he was squeezing, strangling Doggett but not entirely successfully. Doggett had managed to get a hold of Botch's throat too and they were throttling each other.

By this time Mulder had sat Scully down on the floor, removed her gag and recovered his gun.

Next thing Botch knew there was something cold and metal pressed against the back of his head.

"Let him go," Mulder said. "You know I'll kill you if I have to you."

He released Doggett.

Doggett got up and pulled the cuffs from his belt, slapping them onto Botch's wrists.

"You have the right to remain silent..." He began as FBI agents began descending the basement staircase.


	13. The Aftermath

November 10, 2014

4:41pm

Mulder handed Botch over to the agents.

"Agent Mulder," one of them said. 

"Assistant Director Skinner is outside, he'd like to see you."

Mulder nodded. He knew exactly what that conversation would involve but right now he didn't care. He just wanted to make sure Scully was okay.

Doggett, whose arm was still bleeding, had made it to Luke. He untied the ropes and pulled the vile gag from his son's mouth. Luke was still quite groggy; God only knows what Botch had drugged him with. Otherwise he seemed unharmed.

"Daddy," he mumbled as Doggett cradled him in his arms hugging him.

"I'm getting him out of here," said Doggett to Mulder. "Look after Dana."

"I will," replied Mulder as Doggett passed him.

"Hey Doggett," he called after him and he turned back. "Thank you."

"No, thank you Agent Mulder," replied Doggett sincerely.

Mulder finally had the chance to check on Scully. He knelt down beside her.

"You okay Scully?" he asked and she nodded but there were tears shining in her blue eyes.

Mulder quickly untied her and as soon as she was free she clung to him. He could feel her sobs.

"You're safe now," he soothed. 

"Everything is going to be okay."

She pulled away and looked at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

But by this time some medics had arrived and they carried Scully away to take her to the hospital.

Mulder followed but at a distance. He didn't know how to answer her question. What could he say?

"Mulder!" Skinner was there; ready to fly into him as soon as he walked out the front door. "What the hell did you think you were doing?!"

"I had back up," defended Mulder.

Skinner looked like he would explode.

"I gave you a direct order," said Skinner. 

"You disobeyed it."

"Two people's lives were at risk!" retorted Mulder. "I couldn't let him kill them, I couldn't let him get away with it again."

"Well your actions could've allowed him just that," said Skinner angrily. "You were jeopardizing the whole operation by barging in here after him with nothing but one off-duty cop as your so-called back up. I should have your badge for this!"

"I understand if that's what you have to do sir," said Mulder calmly. "But I don't regret my actions."

Skinner let out an exasperated sigh. Sometimes he felt like his authority meant absolutely nothing.

"Get back to headquarters," he finally said. "We'll need to record your statement and then I'm taking you off this case."

"But..." Mulder began.

"Don't push your luck Agent Mulder," said Skinner. "You're lucky I'm letting you keep that badge for now. You're too close to this, I'll assign someone else to lead the rest of the investigation, meanwhile there will be an internal investigation into your actions today."

Mulder thought it best to heed Skinner's advice this time.

"Thank you sir," was all he said.

Skinner just shook his head.

By this time Scully was being loaded into an ambulance. Her mother had arrived home amidst the chaos and was climbing into the ambulance after her daughter. Melissa and Charlie stood by watching, they would follow in the car.

Mulder looked over and saw John, Barbara and Luke all reunited. He was glad that no one got hurt this time. Botch had done too much damage in this lifetime already.

XXX

November 11, 2014

1:17pm

Scully sat alone in her hospital bed. She'd been kept in overnight for observations but there was nothing wrong with her except a few bruises, namely the one that covered half her face, and the small cut to her neck which was still stinging.

Due to the psychological stress of the whole ordeal, her doctor insisted she be kept in the hospital until a psychiatrist was available to assess her. Scully had therefore insisted her family go home. There was no need for them all to be stuck in the hospital for no reason.

She was wondering about Fox. Botch had called him "your FBI agent" and John had called him "Agent Mulder". Why did they call him that? He wasn't an FBI Agent... was he?

"Knock, knock!" called the unmistakable voice of Monica Reyes who appeared seconds later at the side of Scully's bed.

"Got you some chocolates," she grinned tossing a box in Scully's direction.

"Thanks Monica," Scully managed a small smile.

"You okay?" asked Monica sitting down in the chair right next to Scully's bed. 

Concern was etched in her face.

"Yeah," replied Scully not entirely convincing.

Monica raised her eyebrows with a don't-give-me-that-shit look but said nothing.

"Has lover boy been around?" asked Monica.

"Don't call him that," said Scully.

"So you know who I'm talking about then," Monica replied, a smile tugging at her mouth.

"Yes, I know," Scully rolled her eyes. "I just feel so stupid."

"What? Why?" asked Monica, genuinely shocked.

"Well he's not a website designer is he?" asked Scully anxiously.

"No he's not," replied Monica. "He's a fucking FBI agent!"

"He is?" asked Scully her suspicions realized.

Monica laughed; "Yep, how cool is that?! You love that kind of thing right?"

"Oh my God!" sighed Scully leaning back into her pillow. "I can't believe I told him I think FBI agents are awesome. How embarrassing."

Monica laughed again before saying; "Well at least he knows you think he is awesome."

Scully blushed. How could she ever face him again?

"Hey you really like him, don't you?" asked Monica, she was kind of serious now.

Scully looked at her friend and nodded slightly.

"Knew it!" she said triumphantly.

"What does it matter anyway," said Scully. "He'd never like me back. He's a big shot FBI agent and I'm just a school girl."

"You are definitely not just a school girl," reprimanded Monica. "You are a beautiful young woman and he'd be an idiot to let you slip away."

"Monica," said Scully skeptically. "You've been watching too much TV."

Monica shrugged.

"Whatever. He dressed up as your favorite character for Halloween and that says it all to me."

"Way too much TV," repeated Scully.  
There was a knock at the door then and Monica turned in her chair to see Mulder through the window in the door.

"It's him!" she exclaimed, spinning back around and standing up. "You go for it Dana."

She winked and went to leave but Scully grabbed the back of her shirt, stopping her.

"Don't let him in," she pleaded.

"Dana!" said Monica with a look of shock. "I'm letting him in."

"Please, I'll die of embarrassment," Scully looked desperate now.

"You will not," replied Monica. "You can do this."

And with that she marched over to the door and opened it.

"Hello Coop," Scully heard her say. 

"Audrey's just behind curtain number one."

Scully would've face-palmed herself if her face didn't already hurt so much.

A second later Fox appeared with a grin on his face. He faltered however upon seeing her face. The bruising had not shown up that much in the dark basement.

"Scully," he whispered and sat down in the chair Monica had just vacated. He immediately picked up her hand in his.  
Scully looked at him and fought against hot tears that were stinging her eyes.

"Scully," he repeated. "I'm so sorry."

Scully wiped the tears away before they fell and swallowed hard.

"You saved my life," she said. "I should be thanking you."

Mulder smiled slightly.

"Who are you?" asked Scully again.

"Fox Mulder," he answered simply after a pause. "Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI."

Scully gasped involuntarily and turned away from him.

"I don't even know you," she whispered, more to herself than to him.

"Don't say that Scully," he said gently. "I'm still the same person."

"Are you?" she asked, a little more aggressively than either of them expected. "Your name isn't David. You don't design websites. You don't even live next door to me. I don't know anything about you. Was it all just lies?"

"No," he answered. "I was myself around you Scully. I didn't lie to you."

"All that stuff about your family," Scully continued. "Was that just make believe too?"

"No," he said again. "That was me Scully. That's all me, the real me."

Scully was dumbfounded. It all seemed so surreal.

"Scully," pressed Fox. "Please say something."

"Like what?" she asked in a daze. "I don't know what to say."

Mulder still had her hand in his. He lifted it and pressed his lips to the back of it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

Scully just looked at him, confused.  
Next minute Bill came bursting into the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he spat at Mulder immediately.

"Bill!" as usual Scully's scold fell on deaf ears.

"I was just leaving," said Mulder standing up.

He and Scully shared one last look, neither sure of its meaning.

Bill marched after Mulder as he left.

"I knew you were trouble," he said venomously as the door closed behind them.

"Save it," replied Mulder, not in the mood for Bill's shit today.

"I suppose you're happy now," Bill continued. "Dana's in hospital but you got your guy! I suppose you think it was all worth it though!"

"Worth it?" asked Mulder rounding on Bill. "Yeah it was worth it to stop that sick bastard from killing her! Yeah it was worth it to stop him from killing anyone else!"

Bill opened his mouth to retort but Mulder went on, lowering his voice to an angry whisper so Scully wouldn't hear.

"Your sister is here, in this hospital instead of being in a body bag down at the morgue or worse still dumped somewhere like a piece of garbage so yes I think it was very much worth it!" he finished harshly.

Bill was a little in shock.

Mulder didn't wait for him to regain his senses, he just turned around and walked away.


	14. Sweet December

December 31, 2014

10:01pm

Scully sat on the edge of her bed. She was holding a photograph in her hand. The corners were starting to go a little dog-eared but she didn't care. She didn't really know why she even kept it. It was the photo that Barbara Doggett had taken that Halloween. In it, Scully had a tan, too-big trench coat hanging from her shoulders and was looking up at Fox. Her face was painted, his hair was slicked back. They were smiling but at each other rather than the camera. Barbara had been right; they did look natural in that photo.

Scully could here Monica downstairs already. She slipped the photograph into the front of her copy of Moby Dick and left it on the bed. It was definitely never going to happen.

Grabbing her coat she headed downstairs.

"Hey Monica," she said upon sighting her friend.

"Hey hey," replied Monica, her usual grin in place.

"We'll be up soon," Mrs Scully said patting Scully on the arm.

The two girls exited the house into the freezing street outside. They both wrapped their coats tighter around themselves. They were walking up to the Doggett's house for the New Year's Eve street party. Music could already be heard. The buzz of people's voices was also in the air.

It was a clear night. The stars twinkled with their usual dull glow. The moon was not even half full and shone unusually bright. Together with the street lights it was easy to see where they were going.

Fog issued from their mouths as they spoke.

"Looking forward to the new year Dana?" asked Monica.

"It's just another day, another year," replied Scully.

"It's not just anything," said Monica. "It's an exciting new beginning!"

"Too much TV," deadpanned Scully but she was smiling.

"You're the one who watches too much TV these days!" exclaimed Monica. "I almost had to drag you to this party."

"That's a little dramatic Mon," replied Scully. "I'm right here next to you walking of my own free will."

By this time they'd made it to the Doggett's house. They walked around the side of the house and into the backyard. There was a clear view from here of a hotel that always did a great fireworks show.

"Hi girls," chimed Barbara as she sped past carrying a dish.

"Hi," they replied in unison but Monica added in an undertone; "Lucky bitch."

Scully gave her a look but said nothing. She knew Monica was only 65 percent serious.

"Oh for God's sake!" said Monica irritably but before Scully could ask what she was talking about Brad appeared.

"Save it!" she said putting her hand up and grabbing Scully with the other one and dragging her off.

"Notice how he always materialized whenever you are referring to your Doggett crush in some way," Scully pointed out grinning. "You believe in karma and the universe giving out messages and stuff, don't you?"

"You might have a point there," agreed Monica thoughtfully.

After a while Monica wanted to mingle as usual but Scully didn't so she was left alone to be antisocial when John came over to say hi.

 _Monica will be sorry she missed this_ , Scully thought to herself.

"How are you doing Dana?" he asked.

"I'm okay," replied Scully. "I'm still not sleeping very well but the doctor said that's normal. It's getting better. How's Luke?"

"Oh he's fine," replied Doggett. "Doesn't really remember anything, thankfully."

"And Barbara?" asked Scully.

"She's still a bit edgy," he replied with a concerned sigh. "Didn't want to let Luke out of her sight for the first few weeks but she's getting better."

"Well that's understandable," said Scully. "Even though I knew... he was locked away... it was hard for me to go anywhere alone. I even had to get Monica to walk me from my place up here tonight."

Doggett put his hand on Scully's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, his intense blue eyes filled with concern.

"You're tough Dana," he said. "You'll get through this. It just takes time."

"I know," agreed Scully. "Sometimes I just wish it'd move a bit faster."

"Hey Dad!" It was Luke. "Mom needs help inside."

"Duty calls," Doggett smiled and off they went.

Scully looked at her watch, it was 11:46pm.

All night the radio had been playing through the outdoor sound system. Scully hadn't been paying attention, it was just background noise really. The next song however caught her attention. It weaved its way into her consciousness and pulled at her heart.

_Oh my love, it's you that I dream of_

_Oh my love, since that day_

_Somewhere in my heart I'm always_

_Dancing with you in the summer rain_

Tears had formed in her eyes at the remembrance of her and Fox in the non-summer rain. Things had been so much simpler then, she had been so happy even just being friends with him and now she hadn't heard from him in over a month, not since that day at the hospital.

"Don't cry Scully."

Scully hadn't even noticed him come up beside her. She had been too caught up in her memory, in her thoughts.

She hastily wiped her eyes and turned to face him.

"Fox," she whispered looking up into his eyes.

"Scully," he returned with a smile reaching out the wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "Shall we?"

He put his hand out and she took it as if in a dream.

He pulled her close and they swayed to the music.

She rested her head on his heart until the end of the song.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked.

"Doggett called me," he replied. "He was insistent that I attend."

"So was Monica that I should come," said Scully with a smile.

Mulder laughed.

"How's work?" asked Scully.

"Awesome," answered Mulder with a smirk.

Scully blushed but laughed all the same.

"So," she said. "I've been wondering, when you said people call you by your last name..."

"That was true, no one calls me Fox," he cut in. "Like I said Scully, everything we talked about was the truth, the real me. I'm not sure why but I felt I could always talk to you genuinely."

Scully paused and then said; "So you really believe in extraterrestrials?"

"Of course, don't you?" was the reply.

"It's nearly time," announced John Doggett, switching on the projector so the television coverage appeared on the screen he'd set up in the backyard.

Everyone gathered around and Scully found herself at the back next to Mulder.

The countdown finally began and they all chanted along with it:

"Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and exclamations of "Happy New Year!" as an array of fireworks lit up the sky.

Mulder however was looking at Scully.

She turned away from the spectacle and looked up into his eyes, blue met hazel and he leant down. Their lips met in a soft, closed mouth kiss.

Monica sidled up next to Doggett and nudged him with her elbow nodding in the direction of Mulder and Scully who were sharing a slow New Year's kiss.

"We make a pretty good team, you and I," she said grinning and holding out a hand for a high five.

Doggett smiled to himself and slapped his hand against hers.

"Indeed we do Monica," he agreed innocently.

Monica internally high-fived herself, not so innocently.

Scully looked at Mulder and smiled; it was definitely happening.

"Happy New Year Scully."

"Happy New Year Mulder."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love the episode "Millenium". I hope this was a fitting tribute.
> 
> A massive thanks to all who read and enjoyed this story.
> 
> This was the last chapter! As a reward for sticking with me to the end maybe you could go and listen to the song that inspired this chapter's title, "Sweet December" by Short Stack.


End file.
